More people were interested in watching a celebration of the medium's best on the Emmy Awards last week than anything new. The Nielsen company said the Emmys were watched by 15.6 million people, six million more than "America's Got Talent," the second-ranked show.

Emmy viewership was down from the 17.8 million who watched in 2013. But last week's number was better than any other Emmy telecast since 2005.

That took NBC by surprise since the network was expecting a ratings hit by telecasting the Emmys on a Monday in August instead of its traditional slot, Sunday night in September just before a new season starts.

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